The drive, apparatus is used, for example, to drive a motor vehicle, thus to provide a torque based on the driving of a motor vehicle. The drive apparatus has multiple drive units, namely a first drive unit switched off as an internal combustion engine and a second drive unit fainted as an electric engine The drive apparatus is present in this respect as a hybrid drive apparatus. The drive apparatus provides the output shaft to which, for example, a multi-gear transmission, particularly a transmission input shaft of the multi-gear transmission, is connected. The multi-gear transmission or the transmission input shaft is preferably rigidly and/or permanently connected to the output shaft. However, it may be also be provided that an additional connection is present between the output shaft and the transmission input shaft or the multi-gear transmission, particularly a shifting clutch, a torque convener, or the like.
The output shaft is permanently operatively connected to the electric engine. For example, the electric engine is arranged coaxially with respect to the output shaft; in particular, the output shaft is directly connected to a rotor of the electric engine. The rotor is preferably positioned on the output shaft. However, other arrangements of the electric engine may also be provided. The shifting clutch is positioned between the internal combustion engine and the output shaft. Accordingly, the internal combustion engine can be operatively connected to the output shaft by way of the shifting clutch, whereby the internal combustion engine is disengaged from the output shaft in the first shifting state of the shifting clutch and is engaged with the output shaft in the second shifting state. In the second shifting state, preferably a slip-free connection is established between the internal combustion engine and the output shaft, thus without a clutch slip in the shifting clutch.